Not a Mermaid
by Ailuk
Summary: The scene where Ariel rescues Prince Eric in 'Little Mermaid' but, obviously, Lydia is Ariel and Stiles is Prince Eric - A prompt given to me by stydia-fanfiction on tumblr. Stiles x Lydia


A/N: Unfortunately Teen Wolf still isn't mine. I hope you like it!

Prompt: The scene where Ariel rescues Prince Eric in 'Little Mermaid' but, obviously, Lydia is Ariel and Stiles is Prince Eric

* * *

 **Not a Mermaid**

Stiles was the most hopeless romantic Lydia had ever known. He would always be the most romantic person Lydia would know because he was her Stiles now and if she would have her way Stiles would be hers forever and ever till the end of time. Or at least till they decided to break up because of one reason or another, read never.

Anyway, while Lydia always thought that she was romantic and loved anything romantic she never had a boyfriend who was as optimistic about it as her.

Neither Jackson nor Aiden knew anything about romance and if it wouldn't have been for Danny, who sometimes more or less forced Jackson into it, she wouldn't have even received a flower.

But it wasn't like this with Stiles. They started dating a while ago, which happened a lot less romantic like she'd hoped but with a lot more blood and fear and angst then she wanted or needed. Ever since they already had a couple of candle light dinners, a picnic in the park that ended with them jumping in puddles because of a sudden rain shower and more flowers then she could put in her room. Some of those had to stay outside though because Stiles didn't buy most of them instead he picked them himself, which was really cute. Unfortunately he didn't have much clue about flowers. Which led to a nice collecting of poisonous plants with pretty blossoms and Lydia getting familiar with them and how to treat the resulting skin irritation Stiles picked up along the way too.

Saturday was their day. Their date day. Meaning they would spend the afternoon and night together unless there was a pack emergency. Usually they would cuddle up together and watch movies either at hers or when the Sheriff was on duty at Stiles'. He'd watched all her romantic movies with her, without complaining and she'd watched all Star Wars movies, while patiently listing to his thorough analyses of every scene.

From time to time they would break out of their lazy Saturday routine and go out to have some fun. Ice eating, cinema or whatever they could think of. Usually Stiles surprised her with spontaneous ideas even going as far as blindfolding her.

That was why she found herself at the lake dressed in a light summer dress with a matching hat perched on her head. A boat was tied to the jetty waiting just for them.

It swayed dangerously as Stiles tried to wrestle the oars into place and Lydia just watched him with a raised eyebrow trying hard to conceal her amusement.

He had picked the perfect day. The sun was shining from a clear blue sky and a gentle breeze was creating tiny waves on the lake and it was neither too hot nor too cold to go on a little boat trip. She'd made sure that both of them were thoroughly covered in sun blocker to avoid any kind of sunburn. Seeing that Stiles skin tone was almost as light as hers she just wanted to be safe. Even though she had already noticed that Stiles tanned rather nicely much to her dismay. He had whined about having to use sun blocker till she also got to places that probably wouldn't see the sun anytime soon, then he was compliant as a lamb.

"Yes!" Stiles delighted shout brought her out of her musing. She had to laugh when she looked at him, both hands in the air celebrating his victory over the stubborn oars while at the same time he fought hard to keep the balance as the boat still swayed from his momentum.

"Are you sure you know how to operate the boat?" she sked with amusement.

"Of course!" he said confident as she walked over. "It can't be this hard, right?"

He held out his hand to help her in and she gladly took it. Even without Stiles moving the boat wasn't that steady and she more or less wobbled to the seat at the front while Stiles fiddled with the tow that held the boat to the jetty. It took him a moment to loosen the knot. When he'd finally managed it he sat down too and took the oars.

"Ok, milady. Where do you want to go?" he asked and bowed as best as he could.

"How about Hawaii?" Lydia said with a laugh.

"Sure, I'd row to the moon and back for you if you'd ask" he smiled brightly at her giving her butterflies in her stomach before he strained against the oars and the water. The next moment the boat scratched over the stony ground and Lydia had to grab a hold on the sides to not lose her balance.

"I think that's the wrong direction" she commented dryly.

"Woah, yeah hold on. My bad!" Stiles said frantically as he pushed the oars in the opposite direction. It didn't take him long to get the hang of it then they were easily gliding through the water. Lydia just admired the view. Mostly that of Stiles rowing. Especially the way his muscles were moving beneath the tight fitting t-shirt he wore.

"Do you want me to sing some serenades for you? Like a gondolier?" Stiles asked teasingly as he noticed her staring.

"Only if you want me to swim back to the shore by myself" Lydia replied easily and blew him a kiss as he gaped at her.

"You don't even know my singing voice!" he said in mock agitation.

"I'm sure that it is beautiful" she laughed.

"Of course it is!" Stiles said confident and took a deep breath before he started singing. "O sole mio…"

He was of key and loud and Lydia couldn't help but laugh because she was sure that he was doing it on purpose.

"Oh, stop, Stiles. Please stop!" she begged still laughing. He did that right away and watched her with a smile as she tried to catch her breath.

Suddenly a gush of wind tore over the surface and ripped her hat from her head.

"Oh no!" she cried in dismay as she watched it drift away from them. She hadn't realized that they'd already reached the middle of the lake and there the wind blew stronger than it did at shore. "It was my favourite" she added sadly as it landed on the water.

"I'll get it" Sties said immediately as he stopped the boat and turned it in the direction the hat had gone. It had drifted quiet a distance before it had landed in the water.

Stiles carefully maneuvered the boat next to it and leaned over the side to pick the hat up. Though the waves the boat was producing carried it away again and he had to lean out further. The boat dipped deeper into the water as he tried with all his might to reach it. His fingertips brushed already the rim.

"Almost have it" he said a bit strained. He huffed and stretched his arm further out. Suddenly the boat jerked back up as Stiles lost his balance and fell out. Lydia heard the crack as his head hit the oar and then the splash as he went into the water. With a shout of his name she rushed, as fast as possible, to the side he'd fallen in. It was hard as she was fighting for balance herself as the boat still rocked side to side.

When she looked down in the water she couldn't see him anymore. Some bubbles of air rose to the surface and a few waves still rippled the water but otherwise it seemed like nothing had happened.

"Stiles!" she shouted frantically as she waited for him to come up again. A minute passed but there still wasn't a sign of him. Lydia looked around in case he came up somewhere else but she couldn't see him anywhere.

With a hardly suppressed sob she pulled her dress over her head and dropped it in the boat, luckily she had decided to wear a bikini, then she jumped in. The water was cold as it closed over her head and for a moment she was frozen in shock but then she remembered Stiles. With two strokes she was on the surface again, scanning her surrounding one last time for him before she took a big breath and dove under again. She silently thanked Jackson, who had taught her how to dive one summer. Now she went deeper with her eyes wide open looking for Stiles.

She spotted him easily with his bright red shirt as he drifted in the water a couple of meters below her. His eyes were closed and he didn't try the slightest to get to the surface. It worried her to see him like this and she swam faster.

She grabbed a hold of his shirt as she'd reached him to keep him from floating away before she gentle touched his face. It was apparent that he was unconscious and without further ado she put an arm around him and swam back to the surface.

It wasn't easy to pull him up but she was frantic and terrified and that lent her strength. She broke through the surface, spitting out water and gasping for breath while she made sure to lift Stiles head above the surface too.

"Stiles?" she asked still frantic as she held his head above the water, treading water to not go under again.

He didn't react and she could see a small trickle of blood that was running down his temple freely now that he wasn't in the water anymore. Despite anything she huffed a laugh, only Stiles could manage to knock himself out when falling out of a boat.

"Stiles, come on. Wake up" she pleaded but he still didn't react. She had to get him out of the water but there wasn't anyone around who could help them and she couldn't lift him in the boat either. Luckily it wasn't too far to the shore. Deciding that it was her best option she turned on her back and grabbed Stiles with one hand, resting his head on her shoulder to make sure that he'd stay above the water, before she started to swim.

It took most of her strength to reach the shore and then the rest to drag him out of the water. He would probably have scratches all over his back from the stones she dragged him over but she couldn't leave him in the water either.

She fell to her knees next to his head, breathing heavy but she only took a short moment to calm herself before she turned her attention back to him.

"Stiles? Can you hear me?" she patted his cheek lightly and then stronger as he didn't react. "Stiles, wake up!"

A sob escaped her lips as he stayed unresponsive and she started to check him over. At first she felt for a pulse, which was still there, to her relief, then she rested her head on his chest to listen to his heart just to make sure that it was still beating when she realized that he wasn't breathing.

"No, no, no" she gasped as she started to work, her first aid training kicking in without much thought. She tilted his head back and opened his mouth to check if anything was obstructing the airway. Seeing nothing she pinched his nose shut and leaned down to seal his mouth with her lips before she blew a breath into his lungs. She did that twice more before she checked if he was breathing again.

"Oh, come on!" she begged before she repeated the procedure. She felt his pulse again. It got fainter and tears started to pool in her eyes before they spilled over.

"Don't do that to me, Stilinski!" she growled and hit his chest in a sudden bout of anger that left her as quickly as it came and she rested her head on his chest sobbing. A wet gargling alerted her and she lifted her head again.

"Stiles?" she asked carefully and took his face in both her hands as he struggled to cough. Water rose in his mouth and she turned him on his side. It wasn't easy as he was even heavier with his water soaked clothes and without the buoyancy the water provided.

The water trickled out of his mouth and he started to cough for real, bringing up more water in the process, till his whole body was shaking from the coughing.

Lydia had one hand on his arm and the other gentle placed on his head to keep him still.

"Ssshh…" she tried to calm him as the coughing got more intense. It was only interrupted by his desperate attempts to draw in a breath between the coughs.

"Stiles, please. You have to calm down" Lydia begged as everything turned into hyperventilation making him only gasps more. She rubbed a hand over his chest trying to calm him but it wasn't helping. His lips were turning blue from the lack of oxygen and it made her slowly panic too.

"Ssh, baby, please. Breath" she whispered desperately. It wasn't helping as Stiles was descending deeper into hyperventilation. Suddenly she remembered something from her childhood. Before her parents decided to divorce there were years and years of fighting without thinking of Lydia and she would sit in her room listen to them and crying. Her mother always came to her then, sitting with her and singing. The quiet melodious voice always helped her to calm down again and it maybe was one of the few good things she had inherited from her mother. So she started to sing while she was brushing her hand through Stiles hair.

To her surprise it really worked. Stiles calmed down and his breathing got more regular again. With a groan he turned on his back before he opened his eyes to look at her.

"Hey" Lydia said with a strained smile, fighting hard not to break down sobbing.

"Hey" Stiles croaked before he looked around. "What happened?"

"You are such a fool, Stilinski!" she accused before she couldn't hold her tears back any longer. "You almost killed yourself because of a stupid hat."

She flung her arms around him as best as she could and rested her head on his chest as she sobbed loudly. Stiles wrapped his arms around her and gentle brushed a hand over her back.

"I'm sorry" he said quietly as he let her cry.

It took her a bit to calm down again while he held her. She could feel the tremors that were running through him though and she pulled away from again.

"You need to go to the hospital" she said then.

"No! I'm fine!" he immediately argued and tried to push himself up into a sitting position but Lydia easily held him down.

"Stiles, you almost drowned just now. You're going to see a doctor."

"Lydia, please…!" he begged but she didn't leave room for his pleas. "No, I'm calling an ambulance. Do you have your phone?"

She patted his pant pockets till she found it. Unfortunately it wasn't water proof and with that totally out of commission. She quietly cursed though then her eyes fell on the Jeeps key she'd also pulled out of the pocket.

"I'm going to drive you."

"Lydia, I really don't… need… to see…" he trailed of as he saw Lydias glare. "Please, what about Melissa? She could check me over too?" he tried then with his best puppy eyes look. She sighed a long suffering sigh before she gave in. Of course she knew about his aversion to hospitals but he nevertheless needed medical attention.

"Ok" she finally gave in.

Luckily the jeep wasn't parked that far away from where they had gotten out of the water. It took her a moment to get Stiles up on his feet and she had to support a lot of his weight on their way to the jeep but they made it. There he leaned heavily against its side while Lydia rummaged through the back.

"Strip!" she demanded as she got back to him holding a blanket in her hand.

"What?" Stiles said almost startled.

"Undress" she said again tapping her foot impatiently. "You have to get out of your wet clothes."

"What about you?" he asked as he pulled the shirt over his head but Lydia just raised an eyebrow at him. "You know, we probably could squeeze in some sexy time before we leave" he suggested then with a wriggle of his eyebrows as he pulled his pants down. Lydias lips got only thinner as her patience dwindled. As he'd finally managed to step out of his pants, his breathing was already labored again, Lydia wrapped the blanket around him almost trapping him in it before she pushed him gentle towards the passenger side.

"You can barely stay up right so you really want to try 'sexy time' now? You really want to give me an opportunity for my very own 'remember when you fainted during sex'-story?" she said with an almost devilish smirk causing Stiles to pout as he slid into the seat. "I thought so" she said and patted his arm before pressing a kiss to his cheek.

They drove in silence for a while; the heating of the jeep was working hard despite it being already warmed up from being parked in the sun. Still Stiles shivered but Lydia wasn't sure anymore if it was from the cold or shock.

"Lydia?" he asked tentatively as she stopped the jeep at a red light. "You pulled me out of the water?"

She only nodded and pressed her lips together tightly as she remembered those scary minutes.

"Thank you"

She turned her head to look at him and he was looking right back with a small grateful smile on his lips.

"I'm glad that you're alright" she said as she grabbed his hand and squeezed it.

"Me too" Stiles said as he lifted their hands and pressed a kiss to her knuckles. "I love you"

"I love you too"

They looked at each other for a long moment, forgetting about the traffic light and their surrounding in general. Stiles had one of those truly genuine smiles on his face she so rarely saw on him and it made her heart flutter.

Honking startled them out of their own little world then as the driver behind them got impatient while the traffic light turned from green to red again. Lydia giggled a bit and turned her attention back to the road while Stiles leaned back against the seat and closed his eyes.

"You sang to me too, right?" he asked after a moment.

"You heard that?" Lydia asked surprised feeling heat rush into her cheeks.

"Yeah… that's almost like The little Mermaid, you know. The most beautiful girl in the world safes the handsome prince from drowning."

He laughed as Lydia lightly boxed him in the arm.

~Fin~


End file.
